The Fallen Prince
by StrgateAtlantis1
Summary: Zuko sees his new reflection for the first time since he was banished, and scarred by his father. Takes place a month after his banishment. Oneshot.


**A/N:**_ First Avatar fic, certainly not my last. :D This one is all about poor little 13 year old Prince Zuko, newly banished from his home. Please leave a review! This is my first oneshot and I would love some feedback! Thank you for reading! Enjoy!_

_-StrgateAtlantis1_

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_The Fallen Prince_

Prince Zuko looked at his bandaged reflection in the mirror. He stood in his quarters on the ship he had been forced to call home, ever since his banishment one month ago. He had been hurt by his father, physically as well as emotionally. He thought he felt lost before, but his banishment had only worsened that feeling. Zuko felt completely alone against the world. Everyone thought he would never succeed in finding the Avatar, they laughed at him. To go from Fire Nation Royalty straight to unwanted outcast was terrifying for a thirteen year old boy. His Uncle, Iroh, was now accompanying him, but Zuko had been told to see his Uncle as a disgrace for retreating from Ba Sing Se. Zuko still held that belief.

His hands started to shake as he began to pull the bandage away. He continued to look at the floor, as he continued to unwrap it. He allowed it to fall to his feet. He inhaled deeply, unsure if he wanted to see the amount of damage his father had done to his face. The pain during the past month was excruciating, so he knew it couldn't be very good. But he had to know. Without another thought, Zuko lifted his head, and saw his complete reflection for the first time in weeks.

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Iroh was walking past his nephew's door when he heard a horrified cry come from the other side. Iroh stopped in his tracks, and knew what his nephew must be doing. Iroh sighed. He knew Zuko wouldn't like what he looked like now. Iroh felt a stab of pity every time he saw Zuko's healing burn, whenever he changed the boy's bandages for him, since Zuko was too much of a mess to do it himself. Iroh stood outside of his nephew's door for a moment, listening.

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Zuko did his best to catch himself as he stumbled backwards, away from the mirror. He fell to the floor, and scrambled over to the darkest corner of the room. Tears began forming in his eyes, but he did his best to hold them back. He was unable to keep them at bay, and began crying. He flinched as he realized the new stinging pain on his burn was coming from his tears. He began to wipe them away, when the simple sensation of touch made the pain even worse. This only made him cry harder. He hated himself for not being able to stop crying, his father would be ashamed of him if he saw his son like this. Lucky for Zuko, his father was already ashamed of him. He heard the door begin to open, and he forced himself to become silent.

His Uncle entered the room, and spotted him almost immediately. Iroh looked at the bandages on the floor by the mirror, and then back at his nephew, shaking his head in sorrow. He began to walk over to Zuko, hoping to comfort him, when Zuko spoke.

"Don't come any closer." Zuko said, his voice told Iroh that he was crying.

"Zuko, I am here to help you…" Iroh said.

"If you want to help, then make sure that every mirror is removed from this ship immediately." Zuko said, angrily.

"Why?" Iroh asked, even though he already knew the answer. He watched as Zuko's dark figure stood, and walked out of the shadows. Iroh noticed his burn was redder and more irritated than usual, another sign that Zuko had been crying. He was not horrified by his nephew's appearance. He was angry at his younger brother for doing such a thing to his own son, and saddened that he was unable to do anything to help Zuko, who was obviously still in pain.

"Because I'm a monster…" Zuko mumbled. "And I never want to see my face again."

"Zuko, please, let me help you." Iroh frowned, taking several steps toward him.

"I said immediately!" Zuko shouted.

Iroh lowered his head, and walked over to the mirror hanging on the wall, and took it down. He walked over to the door, and stopped, looking back at Zuko.

"I'll return later to help you bandage it again." Iroh said.

"Don't bother. I no longer need your help. I don't need to continue hiding it." Zuko said coldly.

"Very well." Iroh sighed in defeat. "Good night, Zuko."

"Just leave me alone." Zuko turned away. Iroh closed the door slowly behind him. Everything his nephew once was had disappeared. Or perhaps, it had only been forgotten, and hopefully would one day return. Iroh did as Zuko asked, and removed every mirror on the ship. Some of the men gave him questioning glances, but Iroh's mind was focused on his nephew.

Once Zuko heard the click of the door closing, he walked over to his bed, and lay down. He stared up at the ceiling, feeling more lost than ever. He slowly traced the scare with his fingers, managing to make it through the pain it caused. He reached his ear. It had become awfully deformed, just like his face. It was small, most of the skin having been burnt away. It was also the most painful. Zuko took his hand away. He thought of how people would look at him. How they would whisper to each other as he passed. He was the fallen prince of the Fire Nation, and he now wore that mark of shame on his face. He knew this was something that would be part of him forever, so he was just going to have to accept it. But how was he going to do that if he couldn't even look at himself in the mirror?


End file.
